The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for memorializing a deceased individual and, more specifically, to apparatus and methods for providing the survivors of the deceased a personalized keep sake after the deceased is buried or cremated.
When an individual passes away it is customary for the body of the individual to be viewed by family and friends at a funeral home. After the viewing, a memorial service or funeral is generally held at the funeral home or a church to commemorate the life of the deceased. Thereafter, a grave side service may be held with family and friends looking on. With the completion of the grave side service the casket is lowered into the grave where it will remain. A similar service may be held prior to or after the deceased is being cremated. Usually after cremation the cremated remains are collected and presented to the family in a cremation urn.
The casket in which the deceased is displayed and buried can be customized to fit the needs and preferences of the deceased and the family. For instance, a wide variety of materials, finishes, colors and decorative ornamentation can be chosen to meet these needs. The purchaser of a casket can also customize the casket using a variety of stylized trim or corner pieces. These stylized corner pieces usually have standardized decorative elements as chosen by the manufacture. In addition, these corner pieces typically are not personalized. Moreover, these stylized corner pieces are typically permanently mounted onto the casket and are left on the casket when the deceased is buried in the grave site. It is desirable however to more truly personalize the casket to more accurately memorialize the deceased individual.
In addition, once the casket is buried and the funeral services are completed, the families are left with few tangible reminders of the funeral and burial services. Most families receive flowers at the funeral home which pay respect to the deceased and his or her surviving family. These flowers, however, wilt and die after a short time, leaving the family with few remembrances of the funeral or burial services. It is desirable for the families to receive a more tangible and permanent reminder of the funeral or burial services.
In conjunction with offering several different interchangeable trim pieces to customize the casket, a funeral director will often have a display on which the different stylized pieces are mounted for selection by loved ones of the deceased. Often, the corner pieces are simply displayed on a flat board next to one another. The arrangement of the corner pieces on a single display makes it difficult for the family to visualize which trim piece would look best on a particular casket selected by the family. It would be preferable if the individual corner pieces could be displayed in such a manner as to better facilitate a family""s matching of them to a particular casket, to provide the customer with a better visual image of what the particular corner piece will look like on the final casket.
The invention is generally directed to a casket corner piece display pedestal onto which a personalized casket corner piece may be attached so as to memorialize a deceased. To that end, a casket corner piece display pedestal has a center piece with first and second ends with a casket corner piece receiving surface disposed therebetween. The center piece includes a memorabilia receiving container disposed within the first end of the center piece. A base member is attached to the second end of the center piece for supporting the casket corner piece display. The base member includes an extended portion protruding transversely to the casket corner piece receiving surface on the center piece. A cover member is removably disposed on the first end of the center piece to cover the memorabilia receiving container. The memorabilia receiving container is suitable for holding small mementos or keepsakes that will help to memorialize the deceased. The cover member includes an extended portion protruding transversely to the casket corner piece receiving surface on the center piece such that the casket corner piece display pedestal has an approximate C-shaped profile. The casket corner piece receiving surface is adapted to receive and hold a casket corner piece so that the casket corner piece can be displayed for viewing.
In one embodiment of the invention, the casket corner piece display pedestal further includes a casket corner piece affixed to the casket corner piece receiving surface. To further memorialize the deceased individual, the casket corner piece has personalized graphics emblazoned thereon.
In another aspect of the invention, a cremation urn is disposed within the first end of the center piece in place of the memorabilia receiving container. As such, the cremated remains of a deceased individual may be stored within the center piece of the casket corner piece display pedestal.
In still a further aspect of the invention, the center piece may contain two separate chambers. Accordingly, the first chamber may serve as a memorabilia receiving container and the second chamber may serve as a cremation urn.
The invention further contemplates a method for memorializing a deceased individual who is to be buried in a casket. First, the deceased individual is displayed in a casket including at least one selectively removable personalized casket corner piece. Next, the personalized casket corner piece is removed from the casket prior to inserting the casket into a grave site. The personalized casket corner piece is then affixed to a casket corner piece display. Finally, the casket corner piece display pedestal having the personalized casket corner piece mounted thereto is presented to the survivors of the deceased so that the deceased can be remembered and memorialized by displaying the personalized casket corner piece.
In another aspect of the invention, a method is provided that memorializes a deceased individual who is cremated. First, a deceased individual is displayed in a casket having at least one selectively removable personalized casket corner piece. The personalized casket corner piece is then removed from the casket. After the individual is cremated, his or her remains are collected. The cremated remains are deposited in the cremation urn in the personalized casket corner piece display pedestal to which the personalized casket corner piece has been affixed. Finally, the casket corner piece display pedestal having the personalized casket corner piece mounted thereto and cremation remains therein is presented to survivors of the deceased so that the deceased can be remembered and memorialized by displaying the personalized casket corner piece.
Another aspect of the invention contemplates a method for merchandising casket corner or trim pieces. To that end, a plurality of casket corner piece display pedestals are provided. To each of the individual corner piece display pedestals, one casket corner piece is affixed. Finally, the casket corner piece display pedestals are displayed such that one of the casket corner pieces can be visually compared to the other casket corner pieces also on display.
Various additional advantages, objects and features of the invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.